Hugs & Hisses

HUG: To the contributors to Operation Christmas Cheer and all the other holiday-season fund-raising drives. The money you shared made difficult times so much easier to bear for so many local families. May you receive all the help you may ever need.

HISS: To the federal number-crunchers who have reduced the amount that military families will be allowed for renting on the Peninsula. True, real estate values have declined, but rental prices have held steady, according to the renters we know.

HUG: To the locals who have weighed in on the continuing debate over gun regulation. Almost to a person, the conversation has been civil and fact-based rather than emotional and accusatory. Something logical could emerge from dialogue of that sort

HISS: The last few months have given us even more stories about out-of-control overtime and "on call" pay within the prison system, with some being paid for time never worked. How long has this been going on? Can it really be that difficult for corrections officials to fix this? It doesn't go on at other state agencies. Or does it?

HUG: Santa Cruz city officials managed to accommodate construction of a 2,500-seat arena for a development league basketball team in just three months. The downtown arena, a 30,000-square-foot structure, is home to the Santa Cruz Warriors, which has been playing to sold-out crowds. In most jurisdictions, it can take three months to get a permit to build a garage, and Santa Cruz has never been known for accommodating construction. A tip of the hard hat to the city.

HUG: Speaking of Warriors, the parent club of the Santa Cruz squad has been making like playoff contenders and then some. When they line up against other teams on paper, the Warriors come out as underdogs, so what this must mean is that teamwork works. Maybe it works away from the basketball court as well. Just a thought.

HUG: Just when we thought that all movies these days were computer-animated, action-adventure spectacles, the theaters have become safe again for the over-50 crowd. "Lincoln" actually required some knowledge of history as it filled in some important gaps, and "Les Miserables," though a spectacle with some computerized components, obviously was intended for those who had read the book.

HUG: Especially in the canyons and valleys just a ways inland, thick frost has coated our cars most mornings lately, but the crisp blue of the sky has made up for it. Put an extra blanket on the bed and try to remember where you last saw those sunglasses. We live in a land of contrasts, which is much better than the opposite.